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LIFE OF HEBER C. KIMBALL, AN APOSTLE; THE FATHER AND FOUNDER OF THE BRITISH MISSION.
LIFE OF HEBER C. KIMBALL, AN APOSTLE; THE FATHER AND FOUNDER OF THE BRITISH MISSION.
—— —— It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who, in the midst of the crowd, keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of his character.— Emerson . ——...
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PRINTED AT THE JUVENILE INSTRUCTOR OFFICE.
PRINTED AT THE JUVENILE INSTRUCTOR OFFICE.
1888. TO THE MEMORY OF My GRANDFATHER; AND TO THE GREAT Cause of Truth, For which he lived and died; and to all who love that Memory and that Cause, This Volume is reverently Dedicated by THE AUTHOR....
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PREFACE.
PREFACE.
In presenting this work to the public, I not only fulfill the desires of my own heart and those of my kindred who have undertaken to publish what is here written and compiled, but likewise, I am persuaded, the wish of our departed ancestor. Laying the foundation for such a work while living (as the copious selections from his own writings will testify), he left its bringing forth as a sacred legacy to his posterity. For many years this duty, unenjoined in words, but accepted by all in the light
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CHAPTER I.
CHAPTER I.
A Pre-existent Glimpse—God's Noble and Great Ones—Heber C. Kimball a Predestined Prophet—Opening of the Last Dispensation—Heber's Birth and Parentage—Early Incidents of His Life—Clouds and Sunshine A Romantic Episode—Heber's Marriage with Vilate Murray—A Soldier and a Free Mason—His Stern Arraignment of the Ancient Order—Death of Heber's Father and Mother Heber's Poetic Nature—A Rough Diamond—Early Religious Experience—Joins the Baptist Church—"Signs in the Heavens Above"—Heber C.
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CHAPTER I.
CHAPTER I.
Men like Heber C. Kimball are not accidents. They are emphatically and in the truest sense, children of destiny. If we seek their origin, and would know their truth, we must not halt beside the humble cradle which "lulled their infant cares to rest." We must rise on spirit wings above the mists and vapors of mortality, and survey them in the light of an eternal existence, a life without beginning or end. Says one of old: "Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organ
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CHAPTER II.
CHAPTER II.
Meanwhile, the sun of love dawned on his horizon. In one of his rides he chanced to pass, one warm summer day, through the little town of Victor, in the neighboring County of Ontario. Being thirsty, he drew rein near a house where a gentleman was at work in the yard, whom he asked for a drink of water. As the one addressed went to the well for a fresh bucketful of the cooling liquid, he called to his daughter Vilate, to fetch a glass from the house, which he filled and sent by her to the young s
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CHAPTER III.
CHAPTER III.
Heber's temperament was religious and poetical. Sociable as he was, and even bubbling over with mirth, at times, his soul was essentially of a solemn cast. He loved solitude, not with the selfish spirit of the misanthrope, but for the opportunities it gave of communing with his own thoughts—a pleasure that only poet minds truly feel—and of listening to the voice of God and nature, expressed in all the countless and varied forms of life. He was capable of sensing fully—though probably he had neve
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CHAPTER IV.
CHAPTER IV.
Heber, be it remembered, was a potter, and, though fairly well-to-do in the world, continued to labor at his trade for a livelihood. One day in April, of the spring following his visit to Pennsylvania, as he was working in his shop, in the act of forming a vessel on the wheel, Alpheus Gifford entered. This Elder was then on his second mission to those parts, in company with others of his brethren. The conversation turning on the subject of the gospel, Heber said: "Brother Alpheus, I am ready to
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CHAPTER V.
CHAPTER V.
Kirtland, at the time arrived at in our narrative, was the head-quarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The home of the Prophet of God and many of the leading Elders of Israel, it was also the spot designated by revelation where the first temple was to be built in this dispensation. The Church, organized at Fayette, Seneca County, New York, on the 6th of April, 1830, had entered on the third year of its existence, and the Saints throughout the eastern parts had been commande
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CHAPTER VI.
CHAPTER VI.
Joseph, Brigham and Heber together in Kirtland! By what strange fatality were these mighty lives thus interwoven? We have seen how Brigham and Heber came together, and how, from thenceforth, the currents of their lives and fortunes ran parallel. Now they were joined with Joseph, their prophet chief, like streams that swell a river. Interesting is it also, if only as a coincidence, that so many of the leading spirits of the latter-day work should have been natives of Vermont—a diadem for thee, pr
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CHAPTER VII.
CHAPTER VII.
The redemption of Zion! The building of the new Jerusalem! Theme of the ancient prophets and glory of the latter days! Such was the sublime mission given to the Saints of the Most High. Thus came the word of the Lord concerning it, March, 1831: "Wherefore, I, the Lord, have said, gather ye out from the eastern lands, assemble ye yourselves together ye elders of my Church; go ye forth into the western countries; * * "And with one heart and with one mind, gather up your riches that ye
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CHAPTER VIII.
CHAPTER VIII.
"Gather up the strength of my house, and go up and redeem Zion!" Such was the burden of God's command to Joseph and his brethren in Kirtland. Such was their interpretation of the divine message and call. Bidding farewell to his family and friends, whom he hardly dared hope he would ever meet again in the flesh, Heber enrolled himself in the little band of heroes who set out from Kirtland early in May, 1834. They were about one hundred strong, well armed and equipped, and were led by the Prophet
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CHAPTER IX.
CHAPTER IX.
Here, while the Camp rested on Fishing River, the Lord made further known His will concerning the redemption of Zion. The revelation was given on the 22nd of June, the same day that the Prophet repeated his warning in relation to the coming scourge. The points most pertinent to our narrative are here given: "Behold I say unto you, were it not for the transgressions of my people, speaking concerning the church and not individuals, they might have been redeemed even now; "But behold, they have not
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CHAPTER X.
CHAPTER X.
The work now engaging, almost exclusively, the attention of the Church in Kirtland, was the building of the Temple. This edifice was begun in June, 1833. The walls were partly reared when, in the year following, the expedition for the relief of the Missouri Saints took from Kirtland nearly all the able-bodied men whose means and energies, otherwise, would have been employed upon the Lord's House. But the sacred enterprise was not suffered to languish. The elders left in charge were untiring in t
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CHAPTER XI.
CHAPTER XI.
The Apostles started on their first mission, May 4th, 1835. They traveled through the eastern states and Upper Canada, preaching, baptizing, setting in order the branches of the Church, counseling the Saints to gather westward, and collecting means for the purchase of lands in Missouri and the completion of the Lord's House in Kirtland. Like the Apostles anciently, they went forth two by two, traveling "without purse or scrip," and preaching by the way. Heber's first companion was William Smith,
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CHAPTER XII.
CHAPTER XII.
The Kirtland Temple was dedicated on the 27th of March, 1836. It was yet in an unfinished state, but for some time had been used for meetings and councils of the Priesthood. From Heber's pen we have the following description of the edifice and the ceremonies of its dedication: "This building the Saints commenced in 1833, in poverty, and without means to do it. In 1834 they completed the walls, and in 1835-6 they nearly finished it. The cost was between sixty and seventy thousand dollars. A commi
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CHAPTER XIII.
CHAPTER XIII.
"Ill fares the land; to hastening ills a prey, Where wealth accumulates and men decay." During the absence of Apostle Kimball in the east, a grievous change had come over the Church in Kirtland. The greed of gain, the spirit of speculation was abroad in the land. Mammon had reared his altars on consecrated ground; the money-changer was within the temple. The love of the things of earth had usurped, in many hearts, the love of the things of heaven, and comparatively few were free from the
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CHAPTER XIV.
CHAPTER XIV.
At this crisis in the affairs of the Church, the Lord revealed to Joseph that "something new" must be done for its salvation. The good ship Zion, storm-tossed and tempest-driven, her sails rent, her timbers sprung, a portion of her officers and crew in open mutiny, was drifting with fearful rapidity toward the rocks and breakers of destruction. Joseph was denounced as a "fallen prophet" by men who had been his immediate friends and confidential advisers, and the divinity of his mission was being
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CHAPTER XV.
CHAPTER XV.
"Adieu, adieu, my native shore Fades o'er the waters blue; The night-winds sigh, the breakers roar, And shrieks the wild sea-mew. Yon sun that sets upon the sea We follow in his flight; Farewell, awhile, to him and thee, My native land—Good night!" At ten o'clock on the morning of July 1st, 1837, the Garrick weighed anchor, and, being towed down the river by a steamer as far as Sandy Hook, set sail oceanward. A few hours later Heber lost sight of his nativ
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CHAPTER XVI.
CHAPTER XVI.
After landing on this foreign shore, Heber's mind for a season was overshadowed with gloom. Among strangers and without money—for he had not a penny in his pocket—and reflecting on the wretched state of affairs in far away Kirtland, where the Prophet of God, whom he loved as his own soul, was surrounded by enemies, and his own family in lowly circumstances in the midst of persecution, his spirits were much depressed. It was then that he had the following night vision. Says he: "I was in a great
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CHAPTER XVII.
CHAPTER XVII.
Meanwhile, the powers of darkness had taken counsel against these servants of the Lord. Not without a struggle would Satan loose his hold, and permit the gates of salvation to open for the eastern, as they had already opened for the western hemisphere. The evil one had seen that the Church in America was trembling on the verge of dissolution. To give it fresh impetus, and infuse new life into the seemingly sinking system, was the object of the Apostles' mission to the shores of Albion. The openi
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CHAPTER XVIII.
CHAPTER XVIII.
The Reverend James Fielding, finding, notwithstanding his opposition, that the Elders prospered in their labors, and were preparing to lead into the waters of baptism a number of his flock who had applied to them for that privilege, wrought himself into "a fine frenzy." He had even been to the Elders' lodgings, and, confronting Apostle Kimball, forbidden him to baptize them. "They are of age," answered Heber, "and can act for themselves; I shall baptize all who come unto me, asking no favors of
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CHAPTER XIX.
CHAPTER XIX.
Having gained a foothold in Preston, and lifted the ensign of the latter-day work, around which the ransomed of the Lord were beginning to rally, the Elders decided to separate and carry the Gospel into other counties. They met in council the day after the first baptisms in the River Ribble, and "continued in fasting and prayer, praise and thanksgiving until two o'clock in the morning." Elders Richards and Goodson were appointed to go on a mission to the city of Bedford, and Brothers Russell and
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CHAPTER XX.
CHAPTER XX.
The mission of Elias is the mission of preparation, the lesser going before the greater, opening up the way. The day-star heralding the dawn. The wedge of truth piercing the wall of prejudice, cleaving the ranks of error, creating the gap through which shall ride on victory's flaming wheels, the chariot of Righteousness. "Behold I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me." What Christ is to the Father, Elias is to the Son; messenger and symbol of His Majesty. And hath not E
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CHAPTER XXI.
CHAPTER XXI.
One of the great movements in England, commenced just prior to the landing of the Elders, was the temperance reform. Undoubtedly this was a work preparatory to the advent of the Gospel, and one recognized as such, not only by the Elders, but by their converts connected with the temperance cause. "In almost every place we went," says Elder Kimball, "where there was a temperance hall, we could get it to preach in, many believing that we made men temperate faster than they did; for as soon as any o
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CHAPTER XXII.
CHAPTER XXII.
Feeling some anxiety about the work in Bedford, where Elder Richards was still laboring, Heber wrote to him as follows: "PRESTON, OCT. 12th, 1837. " Dear Brother Richards: "With pleasure I take my pen in hand to let you know that I have not forgotten you. Brother Hyde and myself have labored all the time, night and day, so that we have not had much time to sleep. There are calls on the right and left. In Preston there are about one hundred and sixty members. At Walkerfold I have built up one bra
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CHAPTER XXIII.
CHAPTER XXIII.
"My sheep know my voice, and a stranger they will not follow." So said the Shepherd of Israel. The test is true in all time. How many in these latter days bear witness, that, until Mormonism came, they had no religion, and desired none, but were instantly converted on first hearing it proclaimed. Again, how many wandered in quest of it, from church to church, from creed to creed, scarce knowing what they sought, yet conscious of "an aching void" which nothing else could fill, and only happy when
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CHAPTER XXIV.
CHAPTER XXIV.
Preaching the Gospel and converting sinners unto Christ never yet depended for success upon man's learning or the music of oratory. The unlettered fishermen of Galilee, proclaiming in simple words "Christ crucified," were far more powerful in winning souls from error's ways and melting the hearts of the multitude, than would all the orators have been; the Herods, Ciceros, or Demosthenes, of Judea, Greece and Rome. The reason is not, as some suppose, that learning and oratory are valueless in the
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CHAPTER XXV.
CHAPTER XXV.
While the Apostles are setting in order the Church in England, preparatory to their departure for America, let us fly before them over the sea and note some of the changes which have taken place since they left Kirtland. The Church had suffered terribly from the ravages of apostasy. At no time in its history has it seemed so near destruction, as in the early part of 1837, the period of the opening of the British Mission. The causes are noted elsewhere in these pages, and deserve a niche in the t
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CHAPTER XXVI.
CHAPTER XXVI.
We left Apostles Kimball and Hyde, with their associates in the ministry, visiting the various branches of the mission they had founded, preparatory to taking farewell leave of the Saints and sailing for America. They agreed to hold a general conference in Preston on the 8th of April, the day before their departure. "In the interval," writes Heber, "I went and visited the branches in the regions of Clithero and Chatburn, and on the morning when I left Chatburn many were in tears, thinking they s
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CHAPTER XXVII.
CHAPTER XXVII.
At nine o'clock on the morning of April 9th, Elders Kimball, Hyde and Russell left Preston for Liverpool. Through the kindness of the Saints, many of whom assembled to bid them farewell, they were provided with means to take them back to Kirtland. With tearful eyes they were gazed at by the multitude until the coach was lost to view. "Notwithstanding the variegated scenery of the country," says Heber, "which in England is very beautiful, my mind reverted back to the time when I first arrived in
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CHAPTER XXVIII.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Homeward bound! Sheathed the sword and furled the banner. The battle won, the fortress stormed and taken. For a little season, rest and change, ere again the trumpet sounds, and the warrior is resummoned to the fray. It was indeed a campaign of victory from which the Elders were returning. The laurel wreath was theirs, bravely and fairly earned. Yet not for worldly honors and applause had they been striving. These, to the true servant of Christ, are ever the last consideration. The praise of man
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CHAPTER XXIX
CHAPTER XXIX
The land where Adam dwelt. The site of the Garden of Eden. The place where the Ancient of Days shall sit, and the God of heaven shall again visit His people. As saith the prophet Daniel: "I beheld till the thrones were cast down and the Ancient of Days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. "A fiery stream issued and come forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto h
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CHAPTER XXX.
CHAPTER XXX.
The fall and winter of 1838 was one of the darkest periods in Church history. Mobocracy on one hand, and apostasy on the other, dealt the cause of God cruel blows, such as no human work could hope to withstand. The tempest of persecution, briefly lulled, burst forth with tenfold fury; no longer a city or county—a whole state rose in arms against God's people, bent upon their destruction. "The dogs of war" were loosed upon the helpless Saints, and murder and rapine held high carnival amid the smo
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CHAPTER XXXI.
CHAPTER XXXI.
THE FALL OF FAR WEST—JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN BETRAYED TO THE ENEMY—HEBER FACING THE TRAITORS—HIS FEARLESS DENUNCIATION AND FIRM TESTIMONY—ATROCITIES OF THE MOB—HEBER's PROPHECY OF RETRIBUTION—HE VISITS THE PROPHET IN RICHMOND JAIL. The thunder-cloud of war now rolled upon the doomed city of Far West. Heber's narrative continues: "On the 30th we discovered several thousand of the mob coming to Far West, under pretence of being government troops; they passed through our corn and wheat fields, maki
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CHAPTER XXXII.
CHAPTER XXXII.
The brethren who retained their liberty addressed a memorial to the Missouri Legislature, setting forth the wrongs that the Saints had suffered in that state, and humbly petitioning for redress of grievances. As a concise statement of the Missouri persecutions, with much of which the history of Heber C. Kimball is identified, and himself being one of the signers of the document, it is here given a place in this volume: "We, the undersigned petitioners and inhabitants of Caldwell County, Missouri
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CHAPTER XXXIII.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
From Liberty Jail, January 16th, 1839, the First Presidency addressed the following letter of instructions to the Apostles: " Joseph Smith Jun., Sidney Rigdon and Hyrum Smith, prisoners for Jesus' sake, send greeting: "In obedience to your request in your letter, we say to you as follows: It is not wisdom for you to go out of Caldwell with your families yet for a little season, until we are out of prison, after which you may act at your pleasure; but though you take your families out of the Stat
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CHAPTER XXXIV.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
"Be merciful and you shall obtain mercy." The word of the Lord unto His servant Heber. The word of the Lord unto His disciples in days of old. The voice of universal charity, breathing forth the spirit of Christ upon a weak, a sinful and a fallen world. "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." Why should we rail at the fallen? Why not rather weep, when a brother or a sister sins? Why hate them for what is their misfortune? The heavens wept over fallen Lucifer, and even Michael, t
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CHAPTER XXXV.
CHAPTER XXXV.
Joseph and his brethren were still in the hands of the enemy, but the hour of their deliverance was drawing nigh. They had suffered severely in their confinement from the cruelty of their captors, but most of them had borne up bravely. Elder Rigdon, whose faith was beginning to fail under the terrible tension of trial, rashly exclaimed in a moment of despair: "Jesus Christ was a fool to me in suffering." Soon after, he was released on bail and set at liberty. The others were destined to tarry in
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CHAPTER XXXVI.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
The scene now changes to Commerce, afterwards named Nauvoo, the famous gathering place of the Saints in Illinois. Situated in a graceful bend on the east bank of the Mississippi, on an eminence commanding a noble view of the broad river and beyond, Nauvoo, even as the site of the lovely city it soon became, well merited its appellation of "the Beautiful." It was forty miles above Quincy, in which hospitable town the exiled Saints had found a resting place and kindly welcome, after their expulsio
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CHAPTER XXXVII.
CHAPTER XXXVII.
Twelve months had elapsed since the word of the Lord came for the Apostles to depart and "go over the great waters" to promulgate the Gospel. They had fulfilled the revelation in so far as to take leave of the Saints in Far West, at the time and place appointed, but the toils and trials incident to settling their new home had unavoidably delayed their departure from America. One of these trials was an epidemic which swept over Nauvoo and the neighboring towns, prostrating many of the inhabitants
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CHAPTER XXXVIII.
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
Having partly recovered from the effects of this narrow escape from death, Heber and his fellow Apostle resumed their journey to Kirtland. The record continues: "October 23rd, Brother James Modisett took us in his father's carriage twenty miles, to the house of Brother Addison Pratt. From thence we were carried by Dr. Knight to Pleasant Garden, and put up with Brother Jonathan Crosby. We found a few brethren who were well and in good spirits. We remained there three days, preaching to the few br
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CHAPTER XXXIX.
CHAPTER XXXIX.
Journeying eastward, the Apostles arrived in New York, where they tarried for some time, preaching the Gospel and adding new members to the Church in that city. On the 19th of December, 1840, Apostles John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff, with Elder Theodore Turley and others, sailed for Liverpool on board the Oxford . Three months later to a day, Apostles Young and Kimball, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, George A. Smith and Elder Reuben Hedlock followed in their wake on board the Patrick Henry . Aft
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CHAPTER XL.
CHAPTER XL.
Pursuant to the appointment of his quorum at the conference, Heber visited the Saints whom he had brought into the Church during his former mission. Elder Willard Richards accompanied him, pending preparations for his mission to Herefordshire. They first visited the branch in Walkerfold, the home of the Rev. John Richards, whose daughter Jennetta Willard had married, in fulfillment of Heber's prediction. They found Sister Richards in a very low state of health, but after they had anointed and la
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CHAPTER XLI.
CHAPTER XLI.
The next notable movement determined on by the Apostles was the founding of the London Conference. The men chosen for this work were Heber C. Kimball, Wilford Woodruff and George A. Smith. Leaving Manchester on the 4th of August, Heber joined his companions in Herefordshire, whence the three proceeded on to London, preaching and baptizing by the way. They reached their destination about four o'clock in the afternoon of the 18th, and were kindly received by a Mrs. Allgood, of No. 19, King Street,
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CHAPTER XLII.
CHAPTER XLII.
The first baptism in London took place on Monday the 31st of August, the day following the events related in the last chapter. It was "Father Corner" who offered himself as a convert to the Elders, and it was Heber C. Kimball who baptized him. The ceremony was performed at the Public Baths, after which the new member was confirmed under the hands of the three Apostles at his own house. Thus was laid the foundation of the London Conference. Leaving Elder Woodruff for several days, Heber and Georg
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CHAPTER XLIII.
CHAPTER XLIII.
The new year opened auspiciously for the work of God in the great city of London. On the first of January, the Church there numbered twenty-one souls, and ere another day had dawned two more were added unto the fold of Christ. As usual the converts were mostly of the poor and lowly classes, willing indeed to share their last crust with the Lord's servants, who had sacrificed so much to bring the Gospel to their doors, but unable, in their extreme poverty, to render much assistance in a pecuniary
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CHAPTER XLIV.
CHAPTER XLIV.
On his way to Manchester Heber tarried a few days at Bedford, strengthening the Saints in that place, and adding new members to the Church. He also visited Birmingham and there organized a conference. One hundred and seven members were represented, and nine persons ordained to the ministry. Elder Alfred Cordon was appointed president. The Birmingham Conference became one of the largest and most important conferences in the mission. On the 6th day of April, 1841, the Apostles met as a quorum in M
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CHAPTER XLV.
CHAPTER XLV.
On the 20th day of April, 1841, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, George A. Smith and Willard Richards, with a company of Saints, sailed from Liverpool on board the ship Rochester , bound for New York. They landed there on the 20th of May, having been just one month upon the water, and remained in that city until the 4th of June. In a letter to the editor of the Millennial Star , Heber thus relates what followed: "On the 4th of June I started for home,
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CHAPTER XLVI.
CHAPTER XLVI.
A startling innovation, a test designed to try, as never before, the faith and integrity of God's people now came upon them. Not in the shape of fire and sword, nor toilsome pilgrimage, nor pestilence, nor wealth, nor poverty. Ah! no; something far different from these, and far more difficult to bear. A grand and glorious principle had been revealed, and for years had slumbered in the breast of God's Prophet, awaiting the time when, with safety to himself and the Church, it might be confided to
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CHAPTER XLVII.
CHAPTER XLVII.
Without doubt, the revelation of the great principle of plural marriage was a prime cause of the troubles which now arose, culminating in the Prophet's martyrdom and the exodus of the Church into the wilderness. True, the old causes remained, sectarian hatred and political jealousies, and these were the immediate reasons for such results. But back of all was the eternal warfare of truth and error, battling each for the world's supremacy, and the mailed hand of Omnipotence pushing the chosen peop
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CHAPTER XLVIII.
CHAPTER XLVIII.
On the 21st of May of the fateful year 1844, Heber C. Kimball left Nauvoo on his last mission to the Gentiles. He accompanied President Brigham Young and other Apostles and Elders, about one hundred in all. The object of their mission was unique. It was to present to the nation the name of Joseph Smith as a candidate for the presidency of the United States. The steamer Osprey , on which the Elders took passage for St. Louis, left the wharf at Nauvoo amid the cheers and acclamations of those on s
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CHAPTER XLIX.
CHAPTER XLIX.
In the death of its Prophet and Patriarch, the Church had received a stunning blow, but with superhuman vitality it revived from the shock, and rose up in God-like energy to renew its mission of salvation to mankind. Mighty men were they who had fallen, but God's work rests not upon man, and under the magic stroke of the wand of Omnipotence other great men had risen to fulfill their destiny and perpetuate the works and memories of the martyred slain. But who was now the leader of Israel? Such wa
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CHAPTER L.
CHAPTER L.
The work of God was only expedited by the efforts made for its overthrow. The Apostles continued to send out missionaries to the nations, and hurried on the completion of the Temple. Elder Rigdon, after his ineffectual attempt to seize the leadership of the Church, had returned to Pittsburg, to nurse, as best he might, his wounded pride and disappointed ambition. Many, like him, were apostatizing and dividing into factions, but the main body of the Saints, "taking the Holy Spirit for their guide
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CHAPTER LI.
CHAPTER LI.
A spectacle sublime. An exiled nation, going forth like Israel from Egypt, into the wilderness, there to worship, unmolested, the God of their fathers in His own appointed way; that from their loins might spring a people nursed in the spirit of prophecy, made stalwart by tribulation, that should leap from the mountains in a day to come, and roll back, an avalanche of power, to regain possession of their promised land. Such was the meaning of that exodus. The future will justify the action of the
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CHAPTER LII.
CHAPTER LII.
Where now shall fancy's roving pinion rest? 'Mid barren regions of the boundless West, Where silvery streams through silent valleys flow From mountains crested with eternal snow; Where reigns no creed its rival creed to bind, Where exiled faith a resting-place shall find, Where builds the eagle on the beetling height And wings o'er freedom's hills unfearing flight. The point in view of the leaders of Israel was the Valley of the Great Salt Lake, a portion of Mexic
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CHAPTER LIII.
CHAPTER LIII.
The "Word and Will of the Lord concerning the Camp of Israel in their journeyings to the West," was given through President Brigham Young at Winter Quarters on the 14th of January, 1847. It was the first written revelation sent out to the Church since the death of the Prophet Joseph. Agreeable to its instructions, the Saints began to prepare for their journey to the mountains. Early in April the pioneers started from Winter Quarters. This famous band numbered one hundred and forty-eight souls, i
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CHAPTER LIV.
CHAPTER LIV.
About the 1st of May the Pioneers reached Grand Island. Here the prairies swarmed with buffalo, in herds of tens of thousands. A grand hunt was indulged in by the brethren, most of whom had never seen a buffalo before, and after much exciting sport, ten of the animals were killed and brought to camp. The following sketch, descriptive of this, the first buffalo hunt of the Pioneers, is from the graphic pen of Horace K. Whitney: "Some time before we arrived here, we saw through a spy-glass three b
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CHAPTER LV.
CHAPTER LV.
The pioneers now crossed the Platte, hiring a flatboat for that purpose from Mr. Bordeaux, a Frenchman, the principal man at the fort. From him they learned that their old enemy, Governor Boggs, of Missouri, had recently passed over with two companies, on their way to California. True to his instincts and traditions, Governor Boggs had maligned the characters of the Mormons to Mr. Bordeaux, who answered that the Mormons could not be any worse than his party, who were quarreling and stealing all
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CHAPTER LVI.
CHAPTER LVI.
Heber and Brigham entered the Valley together, on the ever memorable "Twenty-fourth," the day chosen by the Pioneers to celebrate their advent into the chambers of the mountains. As a matter of fact, however, Apostle Orson Pratt with Elder Erastus Snow and others, sent on from Bear River ahead of the main company to break a road over the mountains and through the canyons, had penetrated to and partly explored the Valley three days before. Heber remained behind with the President, who was ill, ha
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CHAPTER LVII.
CHAPTER LVII.
Another notable change in the eventful career of Heber C. Kimball. The quorum of the First Presidency, which had remained vacant since the death of Joseph, was now reorganized. Brigham Young, the chief Apostle of the Twelve, was chosen President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in all the world, with Heber C. Kimball and Willard Richards as his counselors. The subject of the reorganization had been considered by the leaders soon after their return to Winter Quarters from the Va
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CHAPTER LVIII.
CHAPTER LVIII.
Now came a series of trials differing from anything the Saints had yet experienced. Indeed, it seemed as if they were fated to literally "endure all things," and like the Master they served, the great Captain of salvation, be "made perfect through suffering." Hitherto they had been warred against by the powers of evil and their fellow-men. Now their opponents were the blind forces of nature, and creatures of another class. The year 1848 was the year of the cricket plague. Myriads of these destru
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CHAPTER LIX.
CHAPTER LIX.
President Kimball's experience was now more than ever of a mixed and varied character; a natural concomitant of his position as a leader in the settlement of a new country. As first counselor to his chief, and only second to him in influence among the people, we find him taking part and helping to direct in all the important movements affecting the growth and prosperity of Zion. In March, 1849, the Provisional Government of the State of Deseret was organized, pending the action of Congress on a
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CHAPTER LX.
CHAPTER LX.
In this famine, which was likened unto the famine of Egypt, Heber C. Kimball played a part like unto that of Joseph of old; feeding from his own bins and storehouses, filled by his providence and foresight in anticipation of the straitness of the times, the hungry multitude—kindred, strangers and all—who looked to him for succor. His own family were put upon short rations, to enable him to minister more effectually to the wants of others. He had taken his own counsel, and stored up grain for the
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CHAPTER LXI.
CHAPTER LXI.
The year 1856 witnessed another calamity, upon the harrowing details of which it would indeed be painful to dwell. It was the year of the famous hand-cart emigration, in which several hundred souls, overtaken by winter on the plains, perished in the snows and from starvation. On hearing of the situation of these poor emigrants, the most strenuous efforts were made by the authorities and the people in the Valley to rescue them from their terrible fate. Presidents Young, Kimball and others despatc
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CHAPTER LXII.
CHAPTER LXII.
A few leaves from President Kimball's domestic life will now be in order. His was one of the most interesting, as likewise one of the most numerous families in the Church. Like the patriarchs and prophets of old, whose example he religiously followed, he was the husband of many wives and the head of a multitudinous posterity. Moreover, it is safe to say that no family in Israel, in its domestic relations, better exemplified the true nature and purpose of the polygamic principle, than the family
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A FRIEND:
A FRIEND:
"He said to me one day, taking up a small stick from the ground, 'You see this stick. If it had remained down there you never would have noticed that there was any dirt clinging to it. But now that I hold it up you observe it is covered with dirt. It is just so when a man is put into office. He may be just as clean before he gets there as those around him, but his being lifted up above them makes his faults more manifest, and he is far more apt to be criticised than before.'" The veteran Bishop,
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ELDER JUNIUS F. WELLS:
ELDER JUNIUS F. WELLS:
"One day he entered the Union Academy, taught by Dr. Doremus, and taking off his high-crowned straw hat that he used so much to wear, made a profound bow to the school, without saying a word. Then, while the students were gazing at him with fixed eyes and open mouths, he said solemnly: 'Boys; never call your father the old man .' With another polite bow, and without saying another word, he turned and left the hall. The impression made by his presence and laconic speech was most profound."...
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ELDER CHARLES W. STAYNER:
ELDER CHARLES W. STAYNER:
"President Kimball's hat blew off on Main Street, one day, and as he was pursuing it, one of a party of men with whom he had been conversing on the corner, laughed at him. Stopping in his chase, he turned around and addressing that person said: 'Never mind; your hat will blow off some day, but your head will be in it.' The man to whom he spoke afterwards apostatized."...
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SOLOMON F. KIMBALL:
SOLOMON F. KIMBALL:
"I heard father prophecy that a certain Elder would lose all his means and die a poor man, because he neglected his spiritual duties to attend to his temporal affairs. I have seen that prophecy fulfilled." JAMES LAWSON'S narrative: "In 1855, Heber C. Kimball sent for me (I had just been married thirteen days) and said, 'Brother James' I want you to give your wife Betsy a divorce,' I said, 'Brother Kimball what is the matter? There is nothing wrong with us, and we think everything of each other?'
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BISHOP JAMES WATSON:
BISHOP JAMES WATSON:
"In 1864, soon after my arrival in Utah, I went with my brother Joseph to see President Kimball about a lot I desired to purchase. We found him at his mill on City Creek, superintending some workmen. Being introduced to him, I said: 'President Kimball, I wish to buy a lot which I am informed belongs to you.' "Eyeing me in a very searching manner, he said: 'I have sold many lots and never received the pay for them,' and then turned away and resumed his directions to the workmen. "I was very much
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ELDER EDWARD STEVENSON:
ELDER EDWARD STEVENSON:
"I cheerfully contribute the following, concerning one of the greatest prophets of the nineteenth century—Heber C. Kimball: In 1856 a little group of friends, convened in the House of the Lord, were engaged in pleasant conversation on the isolated condition of the Latter-day Saints. "'Yes,' said Brother Heber (by which name he was so familiarly known), 'we think we are secure here in the chambers of the everlasting hills, where we can close those few doors of the canyons against mobs and persecu
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PRESIDENT A. O. SMOOT:
PRESIDENT A. O. SMOOT:
"A short time before Brother Heber was taken ill with his last sickness, I drove through with him from Provo to Salt Lake. He was unusually free in his conversation, it being almost a ceaseless flow of prophecies in relation to individuals in and out of the Church. He foretold, with what I have since realized to be the greatest accuracy, what would befall certain men. Some of those of whom he prophesied are still in good standing, but many who were in good standing then, have fallen, as he said
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PRESIDENT A. F. MCDONALD:
PRESIDENT A. F. MCDONALD:
"My first intimate acquaintance with President Kimball occurred in 1868, I being then in charge of the Tithing Office at Provo. He often called into the office to do business. His public discourses about this time were the most earnest and impressive that I had ever heard; and on several occasions in the Provo meeting house, he clearly foreshadowed the time of trial the Saints are now passing through, and to a period still before us. He often used the language 'A test, a test is coming.' "On one
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CHAPTER LXV.
CHAPTER LXV.
GEMS FROM HEBER's WORDS CONTINUED—HIS STRIKING VIEW OF TIME AND ETERNITY—HIS WORDS AND WORKS AT THE LAST CONFERENCE PRECEDING HIS DEATH—HIS LAST SERMON. As President Kimball advanced in years the tone of his mind seemed to deepen, and often was displayed not only that quaint originality which made him a marked individual throughout his life, but he frequently flashed out thoughts at once brilliant and profound. Here, for instance, is a philosophical spark on "Time and Eternity," struck from his
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CHAPTER LXVI.
CHAPTER LXVI.
On the 22nd of October, 1867, there was gloom in the household of Heber C. Kimball. On that day died Vilate, the partner of his youth, the noble and unselfish sharer of his life's joys and sorrows. In the sixty-second year of her age, after an almost unexampled life of toil, heroism and self-sacrifice, God called her home to a glorious rest. One of the immediate causes which led to her death—though for months she had been a sufferer, and the sun of her life was visibly setting—was the untimely e
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CHAPTER LXVII.
CHAPTER LXVII.
The words of Heber were indeed prophetic, that he should not be long on earth after the departure of the beloved wife of his youth. The event for which both had earnestly prayed, that they might live and die, and rise and reign together, was destined by the heavens to be. On the morning of the 22nd of June, 1868,—eight months later to a day—death again entered the household, leveling his fatal shaft at the mighty heart of its patriarchal head. At the age of sixty-seven years, his mind yet unimpa
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ELDER JOHN TAYLOR.
ELDER JOHN TAYLOR.
"Were I to give way to my feelings at the present time I should not be able to address this congregation. I feel as, I suppose, most of you feel—sympathy with the family of the deceased who now lies before us. When I speak of this as being my feeling, I am aware that I express the feeling of the generality of this people. In this bereavement that has afflicted us, we all participate. A wave of sorrow has rolled throughout the Territory, and feelings of sympathy and sorrow gush up from the founta
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ELDER GEORGE A. SMITH.
ELDER GEORGE A. SMITH.
"The occasion which has called us together is truly one of mourning; but our mourning is not as the mourning of those who have no hope. Our father, our brother, our President, has fallen asleep. He has fallen asleep according to the promise that those who die unto the Lord should not die, but should fall asleep. Still, the circumstances with which, we are surrounded cause us to feel keenly, deeply this bereavement of his company, of his counsel, of his support, of his society, and the benefit of
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ELDER GEORGE Q. CANNON.
ELDER GEORGE Q. CANNON.
"The scene in which we are participating this day reminds us more strongly than any language can do, how frail is mortal existence, and how slight a tenure we all have upon this life. Two weeks ago, to-day, he, whose lifeless remains we now surround, was moving among us in this Tabernacle; if not in the enjoyment of perfect health, yet in the enjoyment of such a degree of health as not to inspire us with any apprehensions as to his life. If we had been asked, How long is Brother Heber likely to
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PRESIDENT D. H. WELLS.
PRESIDENT D. H. WELLS.
"It is a great calamity to humanity when a great and good man falls. Earth needs their services. Good men are too scarce. The loss is not so much to them as it is to us who remain—as it is to humanity who are still left to wield an influence against the wickedness which is on the earth, and to sustain holy and righteous principles which the Lord has revealed from the heavens for the guidance of man. Herein is the loss which we feel when such men as Bro. Kimball are taken away, He has made his ma
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PRESIDENT BRIGHAM YOUNG.
PRESIDENT BRIGHAM YOUNG.
"I wish the people to be as still as possible and not to whisper. I do not know that I can speak so that you can hear me; but if I can I have a few reflections to lay before you. We are called here on this very important occasion, and we can say truly that the day of this man's death was far better to him than the day of his birth. I will relate to you my feelings concerning the departure of Brother Kimball. "I have been personally acquainted with him forty-three years and I can testify that he
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APPENDIX.
APPENDIX.
The following narrative, under the caption of "A Terrible Ordeal," was originally published in a little volume called "Helpful Visions," the fourteenth book of the Faith-Promoting Series, issued from the office of the Juvenile Instructor , in 1887. It was edited then, as now, by the author of this work. Its relevancy to the present volume will be apparent as we proceed. On the 22nd of November, 1883, David Patten Kimball, fourth son of Heber Chase and Vilate Murray Kimball, departed this life. N
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